Chest Radiography
Chest radiography was an essential part of cardiac evaluation before echocardiography and Doppler studies became widely available to cardiologists. This simple test remains very useful to physicians who do not…
Fetal and Perinatal Circulation
Knowledge of fetal and perinatal circulation is an integral part of understanding the pathophysiology, clinical manifestations, and natural history of CHD, especially anomalies seen in the newborn period. Only a…
Physical Examination
As with the examination of any child, the order and extent of the physical examination of infants and children with potential cardiac problems should be individualized. The more innocuous procedures,…
Invasive Procedures
There are two kinds of invasive procedures that are used in the practice of pediatric cardiology. The first is cardiac catheterization and angiocardiography, which together are used for diagnosis (diagnostic…
Other Noninvasive Investigation Tools
Besides imaging, there are other noninvasive investigative tools that are frequently used in the evaluation of cardiac patients. In this chapter, the following will be discussed. • Stress testing •…
History Taking
As in the evaluation of any other system, history taking is a basic step in cardiac evaluation. Maternal history during pregnancy is often helpful in the diagnosis of congenital heart…
Other Forms of Functionally Univentricular Hearts
The terms univentricular and single have proven to be amongst the most controversial adjectives used to describe some of the most complex congenital malformations of the heart. Since the mid-1990s,…
Arterio-venous Fistulas and Related Conditions
An arterio-venous fistula is an abnormal connection between an artery and a vein in the absence of any intervening capillary bed. As a result of the low resistance in the…
Chronic Rheumatic Heart Disease
Chronic rheumatic heart disease, representing the permanent lesions of the cardiac valves, is the most serious consequence of rheumatic fever. It accounts for a significant number of repeated hospitalisations and…
Aortic Coarctation and Interrupted Aortic Arch
Coarctation derives from the Latin term coartatio , which translated literally means a drawing together. Aortic coarctation, therefore, indicates a narrowing at some point along the course of the aorta….
